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SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY ADOPTION FOR BOOK MARKETING PERFORMANCE IN NIGERIA: A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
1Abdulrasheed Adebola Afolabi
2Izzal Asnira Zolkepli
1&2School of Communication, Universiti Sains Malaysia
1[email protected], 2[email protected] Tarikh dihantar: 19 Mei 2023 / Tarikh diterima: 14 Jun 2023
Abstract: To ensure business growth, book publishing enterprises must explore and exploit available marketing opportunities. Towards this end, the adoption of digital marketing has become a common feature in book publishing houses across the globe. In the developing country of Nigeria, previous studies have established the adoption of digital marketing innovations, especially social media. However, at present, not enough is known about strategic social media adoption by SME book publishers in developing African countries, and the need is imperative because social media provide cost effective and strategic channels for book promotion and marketing. By using the Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) and Technology, Organization and Environmental (TOE) Framework, this study develops a framework for investigating social media strategy adoption for enhancing the marketing performance of SME book publishers in Nigeria’s digital economy.
Keywords: TOE framework, book publishing, social media adoption, marketing performance, Nigeria
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INTRODUCTION
Publishing is the intellectual procedure of selecting and arranging information in the form of a book and promoting its ultimate use (as cited in Okwilagwe 2001). There are many other definitions of publishing, but this definition is distinctive as it encapsulates the core activities of book publishing practice, which are; editorial processes, design and production, distribution and marketing. While there are several arguments about publishing being a cultural activity (see Greco, 2013; Lorimer, 1993), there is no doubting that its sustainable growth lies in being undertaken as a business activity. As Olajide (2005) argues, the key objectives of every publisher are; i) publishing valuable books, ii) making profits for investors in the publishing business. Thus, publishing enterprises must explore and exploit marketing opportunities available to ensure business growth. Consequently, book publishers’ quest for growth through marketing has assumed different dimensions, including market penetration, new product development and diversification (Olajide, 2005).
In the quest for publishing development, the adoption of innovative marketing practices has become a common feature in book publishing houses across the globe (Tapper, 2014;
Greco, 2015; Nolan & Dane, 2018; Utami, Dewi & Yudhiantoro, 2020). Understandably, digital marketing has emerged as a vital component of the marketing operations of publishing firms, and in the context of the book publishing industry in Nigeria, Ifeduba (2020) examined the deployment of e-promotion by publishers in enhancing growth and sustainability. The study sheds light on the factors driving digital publishing adoption in the country, in addition to establishing the readiness of publishers to adopt e-promotion practices. The adoption of information technologies (including social media) by book publishing firms in Nigeria has been affirmed by Egbunu (2020. Another study by Igudia and Ogunsina (2021) established the usage of social media for marketing by Nigerian book publishing firms, although these companies do not use social media for marketing purposes optimally. As the researchers report, the publishers’ inability to optimize the use of social media stems from several constraints, especially limited social media expertise of marketers.
Although scholars like Ladokun (2019), Omotosho (2020), Oyewobi et al. (2021), and Alamai et al. (2021) have addressed the challenges of social media adoption in varying sectors of the Nigerian economy, the issue of strategic social media adoption by Nigerian book publishers to enhance marketing performance remains not addressed. Consequently, this study seeks to investigate the impact of social media strategy adoption on the marketing performance of SME book publishers in Nigeria’s digital economy. To achieve this objective, a conceptual framework to aid the investigation is proposed. Such an investigation is required because not enough is known about social media adoption by SME book publishers in developing African countries, and the need is apparent because social media provide cost effective and strategic channels for engaging with consumers of books and other information products.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Every nation's economy relies heavily on the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector, which also serves as a major engine of economic growth (Eniola, 2014). According to Oyelaran-Oyeyinka (2020), SMEs are often classified in the Nigerian context as companies with annual revenues of less than N100M (about $250,000) and/or fewer than 300 employees.
Typically, Nigerian SME book publishers are constrained by budgetary allotment for marketing campaigns, unlike huge publishing companies (Zell, 2001). Despite this restriction, many small publishing companies still require advertising and promotions. According to Christopher (2010), Nigerian publishers must use outstanding marketing communications to
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pursue financial success and ensure their survival. Thus, in line with the prevailing global marketing best practice, these publishers are taking advantage of digital marketing technologies, including deploying ecommerce websites and adopting social media marketing to push traffic to websites (Tiamiyu, 2005; Apeh & Didiugwu, 2016; Ifeduba 2018).
Book Marketing Performance
Marketing is one of the most crucial aspects of book publishers’ operation (Christopher, 2010).
Cole (2003) describes book marketing as a publishing process that comprises selecting and developing strategies that yield a profitable book and a profitable business. To put it another way, book marketing entails developing ideas that readers will find appealing, hiring authors to create books based on those concepts, and ensuring financial success is attained by promoting and distributing the book products to readers (Fullerton, 2016). From the foresaid, it becomes imperative for publishers to develop and implement digital-led marketing strategies, since digital marketing is crucial to the actualization of their business goals.
Social Media as Innovation Technology
According to Chaffey and Ellis-Chadwick (2016), digital marketing refers to the application of digital media technologies in achieving marketing objectives. As the scholars expound, the digital media mix consists of a wide range of digital marketing tools including websites, social media, email and search engines. The challenge for marketers lies in assessing which innovations are most relevant to their organizations and gaining competitive advantage through such technologies. For book publishers, social media has been found to be an effective marketing tool (Johnson & Simpson, 2022; Nolan & Dane, 2018; Wardaya, 2016).
Kaplan and Haenlein’s (2010) definition of social media gives an insight into the vital role of social media in book marketing. They defined social media as “a group of Internet- based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0 and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content” (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010, p.61). Social media technologies allow for the creation of user-generated content (UGC) which marketers can take advantage of. However, leveraging on UGC demands a strategy because it can become a problem if not properly managed. While social media interconnectedness and interactions can be viewed as strategic resources that can be further transformed into marketing capabilities, Li et al. (2021) point out that businesses still need an effective strategy to optimize their social media usage by taking advantage of customer interactivity and interconnectedness.
Another unique feature of social media is the advantage of bringing together a community of users with common interests. This possibility has proven to be a boost for innovative marketing practices in the book publishing industry. In particular, SME publishers adopt social media to target niche markets. Siegler (1995) notes that publishers are often on a shoe-string marketing budget, thus necessitating social media usage for target marketing on the platform of niche publishing. This explains why SME publishers place high premium on marketing and branding to create books that meet the needs of their target audience as well communicate the existence of these products to them effectively and efficiently (Martens, 2016).
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Theories on Innovation Adoption
For publishers in developing nations to grow sustainably, technology innovations adoption is an imperative because technology is a major component of development and economic transformation of firms (Cirera et al., 2022). Therefore, it is essential that businesses in emerging nations use more advanced technology for the creation of goods and the delivery of services. Cirera et al.’s (2022) stance is supported in a study by Al-Mubaraki and Aruna (2013) which reported that SMEs in Indonesia perform much better as measured by profit, growth, and market share when technology is adopted. Also, Seclen-Luna et al. (2022) examined the effects of using digital technologies on enterprises' net sales and productivity in Peru. They reported a positive association that corroborate earlier conclusions that technology adoption of technological innovations significantly impacts firm performance.
Innovation, as defined by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), refers to “the implementation of a new or significantly improved product (good or service), or process, a new marketing method, or a new organizational method in business practices, workplace organization or external relations” (OECD and Eurostat 2005, p.46). In essence, the acceptance and implementation of an innovation, by virtue of being new, is not altogether a stress-free or smooth process. This is because the advent of innovative technologies results in significant changes to industry (Jonathan, 2022). As a result, research interests have focused on the problem of technological innovation adoption by businesses.
Prior research on organizational adoption of innovation, according to Zhu et al. (2006), has been predominantly centered on two theoretical perspectives: the diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory (Rogers,1995) and the technology-organization-environment (TOE) framework (Tornatzky & Fleischer, 1990). The DOI is focused on the rate of technological innovation adoption in industries which is influenced by a number of determinants called technological characteristics. The fundamental tenet of the DOI theory is that, regardless of how novel or timely a new technology may be, an organization will only consider it for adoption if it benefits the organization in terms of usability, cost, social standing, or satisfaction. This account for Rogers’ (1995) emphasis on the importance of the five fundamental characteristics of innovation adoption and sustainability: relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability and observability. However, Oyewobi et al. (2022) point out a few flaws in the DOI theory that have been noted in the literature: i) that this theory is unsuitable for addressing social context issues because it neglects to account for the social context of the implementation of technology in organizations; and ii) that it fails to capture the organizational and environmental context required for the successful deployment of information technology. In other words, it is considered that the diffusion of innovation theory's failure to take into account external factors and the organizational environment could be a possible barrier to the successful deployment of information technology. According to Oyewobi et al. (2022), research efforts have combined three dimensions of technological, organizational, and environmental contexts of technology adoption in an effort to get a comprehensive picture, resulting in the TOE framework coming to light.
According to Parveen (2014), the TOE model was initially developed by Tornatzky and Fleischer in 1990 to complement the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DOI) models. To be more successful in implementing innovation, the TOE model depends on three key aspects of the organization's particular technological, organizational, and environmental characteristics. These factors are considered to have an impact on how new ideas are adopted, promoted, and implemented through technology (Parveen, 2014). The TOE model is criticized for lacking the integrative approach necessary to understand the factors that affect technology adoption in businesses, despite its ability to appropriately define adoption variables within their particular settings (Bose & Luo, 2011). As
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a result, scholars advocate the integration of DOI and TOE framework to complement each other for investigating innovation adoptions in organizations. For instance, Zhu et al. (2006) assert that the TOE contexts support the distinctive technological and organizational circumstances of a potential adopter and its sector which has been largely ignored in the DOI theory. Without doubt, the context in which technology adoption occurs is a critical one. As Cirera et al. (2022) submit, market failures and a lack of complementarities are expected to be more severe in emerging nations than in advanced economies, making the adoption of technological innovations there more difficult than in advanced ones.
METHODOLOGY
The study aims to provide a framework for the investigation of how SME book publishers' use of social media strategies improves their marketing outcomes in Nigeria's digital economy. The research approach includes reviewing empirical, peer-reviewed research on the use of social media for marketing in the context of SMEs in developing countries. Research on social media marketing in large corporations were excluded. Credible databases like Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar provided the peer-reviewed papers used in this study.
FINDINGS
An Integrated DOI-TOE Framework for Social Media Adoption
There exist a considerable number of studies on book publishing and marketing in Nigeria.
Some studies address specific developmental issues in relation to the nation’s book industry.
For instance, Ani and Ogboh (2018) investigated the electronic book production and distribution practices among publishers in the south east region of Nigeria. Also, issues on sales and marketing in the context of book publishing have been addressed by scholars like Ihebuzor and Jacobs (2012); Akpane (2008); Okwilagwe and Otoayele (2019). A key developmental issue that has attracted research interest in the recent years is the diffusion and adoption of new technologies in the nation’s publishing industries, as evident in Egbunu (2020), Ifeduba (2020);
Ogbaeja and Nelson-Ogbaeja (2020); Ifeduba (2021) and Ifeduba (2022).
In particular, a few researchers have made specific contributions on digital innovations adoption. Ifeduba (2018) developed a framework by integrating the diffusion of innovations theory and the Technology, Organization, Environment (TOE) theory to investigate the extent to which perceived contextual factors and perceived relative advantage correlate with the extent of adoption of digital publishing innovations (DPI) in Nigeria. The study’s outcome suggests that perceived relative advantage, market readiness, business uncertainty, and enabling facility had significant correlations with D.P.I. adoption. In a further study, Ifeduba (2020), partly using the TOE theory, examined the extent of market readiness for DPI adoption in terms of book production, promotion, distribution and sales in Nigeria’s book industry. It came to light from the study that authors and consumers were found to be more digital-ready than libraries, schools and bookshops. Consequently, the researcher made a case for further research to explore e- promotion practices of Nigerian publishers in the e-commerce market environment.
As the studies highlighted above show, the market context plays vital role in the adoption of innovation, especially in emerging economies where there are varying levels of risks, uncertainties and infrastructural inadequacies. Thus, an integrated DOI-TOE framework serves the need to understudy the adoption of social media innovations, which is necessary for the survival and sustainable growth of SME book publishers in a digital age.
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Conceptualizations
Book Marketing Performance
Marketing in book publishing has been described as a complex endeavor (Baverstock, 2015), because books compete with other media for the spending power of consumers, especially when the competing products are heavily advertised (Lis &Berz, 2011). Against this backdrop, Squires (2007) describes marketing in the context of book publishing as an assessment of perceived desires that is fulfilled through the production and promotion of products. Also, Cole (2003, p.4) defines book marketing as a “publishing practice involving selecting and finding methods that result in a profitable book and a profitable company”. Putting these definitions together, there is the consensus that marketing is a function that entails developing strategies to achieve business goals. Results from measurement-focused studies show that digital-driven marketing impacts positively on the performance of firms in the SME sector (Bhagat et al., 2021; Oyedele, Oworu & Abdulganiyu, 2020). Also, Udayana et al. (2021) argue that marketing performance leads to increase in company profits, therefore becoming an important requirement to ensure the firm’s growth.
Social Media Performance
SMEs’ usage of social media to develop strategic marketing actions in a systematic manner is central to their performance. According to Tafesse and Wien (2018), companies use social media to achieve strategic marketing goals such as acquiring new consumers and increasing customer satisfaction. They say that because of social media's interactivity and involvement, firms must first reach out to and engage with customers in order to achieve their strategic marketing objectives through social media marketing. Social media, according to Marchand et al. (2021), are Internet-based communication tools that facilitate the development and exchange of content among virtual links. In offering this description of social media, Marchand et al. (2021), did not just look at user-generated content on social media; they also focused on content developed and shared by businesses, which is crucial to the social media ecosystem.
They argue that the interconnectedness of network actors emphasizes the participatory nature of social media, which distinguishes it from traditional media. Thus, social media performance is defined as “an organization's success in using social media as part of its marketing mix, as measured by the number of fans, followers, or subscribers on social media, for example”
(Marchand et al. 2021, p.3).
Social Media Strategy Adoption
While the literature increasingly recognizes the nature and dynamics of social media, as well as their implications for marketing, SMEs still face the challenge of figuring out how to use social media successfully to achieve their strategic marketing objectives (Tafesse & Wien, 2018). This assertion is supported by Ahmad et al.’s (2018) study which revealed no significant relationship between social media adoption and firm performance of the SME firms studied.
But, studies by Fan et al. (2021), Tajvidi and Karami (2021), and Parveen, Jaafar, and Ainin (2016) give a contrary view, reporting a significant relationship between social media adoption and SME performance. However, the latter studies established these positive relationships in the context of innovation capabilities, entrepreneurial orientations and marketing capabilities
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as mediating factors respectively. Essentially, Ahmad et al.’s (2018) stance is that social media adoption would impact on firm performance only when adoption is planned and linked to organizational strategy. In other words, there must be a painstaking approach to social media usage, not just a case of joining the bandwagon. This explains Li et al.’s (2020) reiteration that social media usage may have become an established practice in organizations but the strategy aspect of social media-led marketing communications campaigns has not been emphasized well enough.
To emphasize the role of strategy in social media usage, there have been attempts to shift the focus away from simply owning social media platforms to assuring the optimal utilization of social media technologies through effective planning (Tafesse et al, 2018). In this regard, social media implementation, referred to as a company's decisions and efforts in order to put social media to effective marketing use by Tafesse et al (2018), is vital in the social media marketing of SMEs. In specific terms, social media strategy adoption is conceptualized as SME publishers’ adoption of “a goal-directed planning process for creating user generated content, driven by a group of internet applications, to create a unique and valuable competitive position” (Effing & Spil, 2016, p.2). The first dimension of this construct is “social media planning and implementation”, which entails environmental scanning, setting broad goals, cultivating two-way relationships with audiences, carrying out long-term plans, and evaluating outcomes to determine the effectiveness of social media marketing communications (Plowman et al, 2016). The second dimension is “social media monitoring and measurement”, which refers to the deployment of social media analytics for the purpose of generating data that can be used to plan and make marketing decisions through monitoring and measuring the impact of social media efforts (Taffese & Wien, 2018).
Relationships Between Technological Factors and Social Media Strategy Adoption Given the importance of social media in contemporary marketing environment, it is imperative to examine the context of social media adoption in SMEs based on the TOE framework.
Relative Advantage and Social Media Strategy Adoption
According to Ahmad et al (2018), relative advantage refers to the degree to which potential adopters see an innovation as better than the alternatives. Also, relative advantage refers to the degree to which an innovation is seen as being superior than its predecessor (Qalati et al., 2021;
Zolkepli & Kamarulzaman, 2011; Zolkepli & Kamarulzaman, 2015). Studies by Alsharji et al (2018), Qalati et al. (2021) and Qalati et al. (2020) suggest that relative advantage strongly and positively affects organizations’ decision to use particular innovations. However, it has been argued that the strategic implementation of social media marketing plans is central to the success of social media adoption (Tarsakoo et al., 2020). Thus, Alsharji et al. (2018) argues the need for SMEs to adopt technological innovations appropriately with a strategic plan to remain competitive and profitable. Therefore, to explore how the relative advantage of using social media is impacted by social media strategy adoption it is hypothesized that;
H1a: Relative advantage of social media has a positive effect on social media planning and implementation.
H1b: Relative advantage of social media has a positive effect on social media monitoring and measurement.
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Compatibility and Social Media Strategy Adoption
Alsharji et al. (2018) define compatibility in terms of how well social media innovations fit with or found suitable for current business processes, suppliers and customers of a business.
Ainin et al. (2015) aver that compatibility is an important determinant of innovation use in SMEs, noting that firms are likely to adopt a new technology if found to be compatible with existing work application systems. Odoom et al. (2017) argue that social media platforms offer functions/features that previously may not have existed, and which have been improved to help businesses meet consumer preferences and market needs. These attributes make social media a hybrid aspect of the promotion mix, combining the characteristics of traditional integrated marketing tools with the characteristics of electronic word of mouth, which are not under the control of SMEs (Mangold & Faulds, 2009). The implication is that by integrating social media activities in business operations in a manner consistent with their organizational values and objectives, firms are able to niche their target customers effectively and efficiently by sharing their product/service contents almost instantly. Thus, compatibility, from Odoom et al.’s (2017) perspective, is of high value to SME publishers who mostly focus on niche publishing.
As reported by Pateli et al. (2020), compatibility is significantly positively related to the use of social media for hotel reservation. In addition, Bag et al (2022) established that compatibility positively impacts blockchain technology adoption in SMEs. Given these outcomes, it will be worthwhile to explore the relationship between compatibility of social media and social media strategy adoption. Therefore, it is hypothesized that;
H2a: Compatibility of social media has a positive effect on social media planning and implementation.
H2b: Compatibility of social media has a positive effect on social media monitoring and measurement.
Observability and Social Media Strategy Adoption
Observability is defined as how well other businesses can see the effect or benefits of innovation adoption (Venkatesh, et al 2003). Alsharji et al (2018) explain that when organizations see others successfully using new technology to gain competitive advantage, it reduces uncertainty and makes them more likely to adopt that technology too. Describing observability as the degree to which the impact of an innovation is observable, Lin and Chen (2012) aver that organizations are more likely to adopt innovations when they can observe its value-adding possibilities. This means that SMEs may be more willing to adopt an innovation if they can see others, in particular their business partners or competitors, benefit from it. Abu Bakar et al. (2019) provide evidence that observability is significant in an SME's decision to adopt social media. According to Ali Abbasii et al. (2022), businesses are often inclined to adopt social media innovations when they observe how their competitors gain advantage through them. Hence, it can be assumed that the observed successes of competitors’ strategic social media activities shape SMEs adoption of social media. Therefore, it is hypothesized that;
H3a: Observability of social media has a positive effect on social media planning and implementation.
H3b: Observability of social media has a positive effect on social media monitoring and measurement.
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Relationships Between Organizational Factors and Social Media Strategy Adoption Top Management Support and Social Media Strategy Adoption
Top management plays a vital role in innovation adoption by setting out how the innovation fits with the firm’s overall strategy and encouraging and rewarding creativity and innovation (AlSharji et al., 2018). According to Gangwar et al (2015), top management support is a difficult challenge because, in order to receive sufficient financial investment and technological competencies, top management must be willing to understand the business-related benefits of an innovation technology and its competitiveness, as well as support its implementation in the organization. Similarly, Abed (2020) avers that the level of support received from senior management in adopting innovative technologies for business application counts, noting that it is one of the three most important indicators of IT innovation adoption at the organizational level.
Beyond social media adoption, the support of top management counts for putting in place a comprehensive planning process for the success of social media marketing if it is to result in a positive return (Bernoff & Li, 2008; Constantinides et al. 2008; Nair, 2011;
Stockdale et al., 2012). According to Stockdale et al. (2012), "mindful adoption" of social media comprises SMEs understanding why they are online, how they will manage interactions, and how they will meet consumers’ needs. In this study, the relationship between top management support for social media adoption and the implementation of social media plans is of interest. Thus, it is hypothesized that;
H4a: Top management support to adopt social media has a positive effect on social media planning and implementation.
H4b: Top management support to adopt social media has a positive effect on social media monitoring and measurement.
Organizational Readiness and Social Media Strategy Adoption
Organizational readiness refers to the level of available technical and financial resources in the organisation to adopt new innovative technology (Abed, 2020). According to Abed (2020), previous studies show that the availability of organizational resources has a considerable and beneficial impact on the adoption of new technologies by organizations. Also, Sugandini et al.
(2020) explain that organizational readiness refers to the availability of the company's financial and human resources. Ifeduba and Christopher (2018) affirmed a link between adoption of digital publishing innovations and readiness of Nigerian book publishers to adopt. Similarly, Toufani and Montazer (2011) concluded that the readiness of Iranian publishers is critical to improving e-publishing in the country.
Organizational readiness in the context of social media adoption necessitates the identification of SM policies by SMEs in order to reap the intended benefits. For example, Abeysinghe and Alsobh (2013) posit that SME's ability to benefit from SM opportunities is determined by their willingness to embrace the technology and the challenges that come with it, particularly the tasks of social media planning and monitoring. In light of these affirmations, it is hypothesized that;
H5a: Organizational readiness to adopt social media has a positive effect on social media planning and implementation.
H5b: Organizational readiness to adopt social media has a positive effect on social media monitoring and measurement.
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Relationships Between Environmental Factors and Social Media Strategy Adoption Consumer Pressure and Social Media Strategy Adoption
Consumer pressure refers to satisfying the different needs and expectations of customers through technology adoption in businesses (Abed, 2020). Averring that firms adopt innovations to achieve interactive engagement with customers for the purpose of meeting their requirements and expectations, Abed (2020) argues that consumer pressure is a major driver of technology adoption in enterprises. Previous studies showing evidence of the impact of customer pressure on the firms’ innovation adoption include: Kumar et al (2019); Nugroho et al. (2017); Chatzoglou and Chatzoudes (2016) and Lestari et al. (2021). In addition, Li et al.
(2020) affirmed the role of strategic development and implementation of social media marketing plans in relation to consumer pressure as determinant of social media adoption in SMEs is highlighted. Thus, it is hypothesized that;
H6a: Consumer pressure has a positive effect on social media planning and implementation.
H6b: Consumer pressure has a positive effect on social media monitoring and measurement.
Competitive Pressure and Social Media Strategy Adoption
According to Alsharji et al. (2018), competitive pressure describes the degree of rivalry within an industry. It is also defined as the extent of competitive atmosphere within the industry in which companies operate (Sin et al. 2016). In Yoon, Lim & Park (2020) competitive pressure was indicated as a major environmental component in innovation adoption based on the argument that competitive pressures cause environmental uncertainty and boost the rate of innovation adoption. According to Alsharji et al. (2018), globalization, the creation of new technologies, and the utilization of knowledge all affect competitive pressure. They explain that in a more competitive environment, firms are more likely to innovate, and many innovations get adopted. Examples of the influence of competitive pressure on innovation adoption in the publishing industry recorded by Buschow et al. (2014), and Smyth and Birkenshaw (2001).
Companies all over the world are utilizing social media in their marketing efforts in order to obtain a competitive advantage. Abassi et al. (2022) found that perceived competitive pressure had a substantial impact on SMEs' adoption of social media marketing in Malaysia.
This finding is consistent with previous research by Lin (2014) and Wang and Cheung (2004), which found that competitive pressure plays a key role in motivating enterprises to adopt technology. However, the success of social media marketing is influenced by SMEs' ability to use social media strategically to get maximum value (Pentina & Koh, 2012). As a result of the perceived successes of competitors’ social media efforts, Pentina and Koh (2012) report that SMEs are forced to embrace and implement social media strategies and tactics to avoid losing their competitive advantage. Since the social media success of a firm serves as a source of motivation to rivals within the same industry, it is worthwhile to find out the effects of competitive pressure on SMEs’ social media implementation, thus it is hypothesized that;
H7a: Competitive Pressure has a positive effect on social media planning and implementation.
H7b: Competitive Pressure has a positive effect on social media monitoring and measurement.
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Government Support and Social Media Strategy Adoption
Government support refers to administrative and financial assistance provided to businesses by the government in the process of introducing and implementing new information technology (Yoon, Lim & Park 2020). Furthermore, government support can also be regulations that can either encourage or discourage firms from embracing technology innovations (Effendi et al., 2020). According to Yoon et al. (2020), previous studies suggest that governments have a major impact on promoting technology innovation adoption by providing supporting infrastructure.
In Ifeduba and Christopher (2018), a significant relationship was found between adoption of digital publishing innovations and the enabling facilities provided by government in the Nigerian business environment. The role of government regulations in stimulating or encouraging digital-related activity is critical as SMEs face the challenges of digital transformation (Chen et al, 2021). Based on the fore cited, it is hypothesized that;
H8a: Government support has a positive effect on social media planning and implementation.
H8b: Government support has a positive effect on social media monitoring and measurement.
Relationship Between Social Media Strategy Adoption and Social Media Performance The extant literature evidence the positive effects of social media strategy on firm performance.
For example, Effing and Spill (2016) established that a well-developed social media strategy leads to enhanced social media performance. Other examples are: Wu, Martinez, and Martin (2020); Halawani, Soh and Halawani (2020); Chanthinok, Ussahawanitchakit and Jhundra- indra (2015). Thus, it will be interesting to find out the relationship between social media strategy adoption, and social media performance. Thus, it is hypothesized that;
H9: Social media planning and implementation has a positive effect on social media performance.
H10: Social media monitoring and measurement has a positive effect on social media performance.
Relationship Between Social Media Performance and Book Marketing Performance Berger and Thomas (2016) emphasize the importance of social media performance, arguing that the continued expansion of social media marketing, as well as the concurrent growth of innovative new platforms, has compelled businesses to adopt new strategies, posing new challenges for SMEs. Because the monitoring and tracking of marketing goals is especially crucial for SMEs aiming to maintain their competitive edge due to the exponential expansion of social media marketing, this indicates a continuing necessity for enterprises to engage in social media performance monitoring. Berger and Thomas (2016) found that 60 percent of SMEs in South Wales indicated that they monitor their social media performance, though they do not have a dedicated strategy in place. In general, the findings suggest that SMEs were worried about monitoring their SMM performance. Overall, the study demonstrates the need for SMEs to create a unique plan for performance monitoring in order to enhance their social media marketing efforts.
Whereas firms aim at adopting social media to achieve strategic marketing objectives, the interactivity and engagement features of social platforms necessitate the imperative to reach out to and engage with customers in order to achieve these objectives. According to Tafesse and Wien (2018), generating positive customer interactions on social media, such as a customer
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subscribing to a company's social media page, engaging with its content, or clicking on a link, is a necessity for obtaining favorable, customer-based market outcomes. In summary, when businesses utilize social media, they concentrate on both social media performance and marketing performance. Tafesse and Wien (2018) revealed in their study that social media performance has a considerable impact on marketing performance, thus it will be useful to find out the link between social media performance and book marketing performance in this study.
Therefore; it is hypothesized that;
H11: Social media performance has a positive effect on book marketing performance.
Relationship Between Drivers of Social Media Adoption and Social Media Performance Aside from the earlier cited study by Ahmad et al. (2018) which revealed no significant relationship between social media adoption and firm performance of the SME firms studied, there are other examples in this respect. In an investigation on the use of social media for business purposes among small business owners in southwest Nigeria, Omotosho (2020) revealed that although majority of the respondents found it easy to use social media platforms in the running of their business, the usage has not resulted to the anticipated business performance. The source of the problem is small businesses’ limited skills in using social media in a strategic way to meet their business expectations. As Omotosho (2020) opines the solution lies in their understanding and capability in developing and implementing social media plans.
This stance also tallies with Ahmad et al’s (2018) submission that SMEs social media usage would be more effective and result-yielding when adequately planned and appropriately measured. However, social media evaluation and measurement continues to be challenging in SMEs. According to Zerres (2021), companies find it difficult to assess the performance of their social media activities (SMAs) for a variety of reasons, including: 1) using only a few metrics, likes or views, which are not helpful for evaluating SMAs and may even mislead marketing efforts; 2) the increasing complexity of social media, which makes it more difficult to measure performance; 3) with a wide range of metrics and tools available, a clear definition of objectives is necessary to choose appropriate metrics; 4) limited expertise on social media measurement; 5) poor knowledge on setting objectives and defining what to measure.
The identified constraints notwithstanding, previous studies indicate the role of strategic usage of social media in enhancing social media performance. In Marchand et al (2021), it is affirmed that strategic use of social media positively affects social media performance in firms, although this impact is negatively moderated by firm size. This means that SMEs are less likely to achieve social media performance compared to larger firms. In their study, Tafesse and Wien (2018) showed the significant positive impact of social media strategy on social media performance. Similarly, the researchers established that social media analytics has a significant positive effect on social media performance. In light of these findings, it is hypothesized that;
H12: Social media planning and implementation mediates the relationship between the drivers of social media adoption and social media performance.
H13: Social media monitoring and measurement mediates the relationship between the drivers of social media adoption and social media performance.
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Significance of Proposed Framework
Based on the aforementioned conceptualizations and hypothesis, a conceptual framework (Figure 1) is proposed for the study of social media strategy adoption for marketing performance of SME book publishers in Nigeria. Scholars (like Benghozi & Salvador, 2015;
Criswell & Canty, 2014; Li, 2018; Megawati and Bernardus, 2014; Nolan & Dane, 2018;
Ronning and Slaatta, 2011; Throsby, Wang et al., 2021; Wang and Zuccala, 2021; Waradaya, 2016; Yank Zhang and Xiang, 2021; Zwar & Morgan, 2014) have emphasized book publishers’
adoption of social media as means of achieving marketing outcomes, which attests to the importance of social media-led marketing in the publishing industry. While large book publishers with large marketing budgets, have adopted online technologies in profound ways (Macmanus, 2012), small book publishers do not have such opportunities (Zell, 2001). With the emerging digital economy in Nigeria, a study of strategic usage of social media platforms among SME publishers will contribute to knowledge in both theoretical and practical ways.
Figure 1: Conceptual framework
CONCLUSION
While the traditional advertising and promotion techniques popularly used in business are prohibitive to small book publishers who do not have the luxury of large marketing budgets (Zell, 2001), the need to explore innovative techniques for marketing and promotion becomes imperative as social media platforms gain increasing spread and importance in modern society.
However, context is important in considering the adoption of social media. Several contextual factors like emerging nature of the economy of developing countries, the specific context of the publishing market in the economy and other environmental factors that impact social media efforts are important considerations. Thus, the need to provide insights on social media innovation adoption behaviour in the context of the book publishing industry in a developing economy like Nigeria’s is established.
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